Pawar stresses on social unity amid Gazette-driven demands by multiple communities

PUne, NCP chief Sharad Pawar on wed said that if every community of interests bases its demands on the Hyderabad Gazette, unity among communities testament be hard to accomplish. Speaking to reporters in Pune on the sidelines of a governing council meeting at the Vasantdada Sugar Institute, Pawar questioned the state government's decision to form two separate committees one for Marathas and another for OBCs. There should be no compromise on social unity, and if any political price needs to be paid, it should be paid, he asserted. Various caste groups have contended that the implementation of the Hyderabad Gazette to allow members of the Maratha community to get OBC Kunbi caste certificates would greatly impact SCs, STs, and Other Backward Classes. The Maharashtra government earlier this month set up a nine-member cabinet sub-committee to expedite the welfare measures for the Other Backward Classes and resolve issues related to reservation. The move came after activist Manoj Jarange called off his five-day-long hunger strike in Mumbai, with the state government accepting most of his demands, including granting eligible Marathas Kunbi caste certificates, which will make them eligible for reservation benefits available to the OBCs. A cabinet sub-committee on Marathas was formed in 2022 after the Supreme Court struck down a 2018 law granting quota to the community as unconstitutional, as the legislation breached the 50 per cent ceiling set by the apex court in 1992. OBC leaders and organisations have been opposing the possible inclusion of Marathas in the OBC category for reservation purposes. "Unfortunately, in the past few days, restlessness has been increasing in Marathwada among different communities, which is why I said the social fabric is weakening. Every day, new demands are being raised. Two days back, the Banjara community protested for inclusion in the ST category, while the next day Adivasis staged protests opposing such inclusion," Pawar said. A similar situation has arisen between the Maratha and OBC communities, the former Maharashtra chief minister pointed out. "The state government has formed two committees - one for OBCs and another for Marathas. My question is, was there really a need to form two separate committees based on caste? Such committees will naturally think only about the communities for whom they are being formed, not about the other side," he said. Pawar said what is needed is to bring both communities together. "If we want unity, working separately through such committees will not help," the former Union minister said. "Ultimately, attention must be paid to reducing bitterness between communities. I will not comment further on these two committees, but at this stage, efforts must focus on building mutual understanding," he said. Asked about Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' remarks on his statement about the weakening social fabric, Pawar responded, "Let him derive any meaning out of my statement. What is important is to bring communities together, end the bitterness, and if any price has to be paid for that, it should be paid." The NCP leader also suggested that the chief minister should make a "balanced statement". Reacting to Pawar's allegation of the Mahayuti government weakening the social fabric, CM Fadnavis had said, "Everyone knows what Pawar saheb is famous for. When he says 'X,' consider it as 'Y.' He is famous for it. He is a big leader, what more can I say about him?" On Hyderabad Gazette, Pawar said the government was using it to address quota issues. "If the government is taking the help of the Hyderabad Gazette to solve issues regarding quota demands, I have no objection. But what we are witnessing is that every community is now using it as a basis to push its demands. Instead of resolving the issue, the situation is deteriorating. Still, our stand is clear - there should be no compromise on social unity, and if any political price needs to be paid, it should be paid," he said. Asked whether the Hyderabad Gazette was creating rifts among communities, Pawar said, "I had never read the Hyderabad Gazette earlier; I read it now." "At that time, that part was not in Maharashtra, and that is why we never went into its details. But if different communities start pushing their particular demands based on the Gazette, how will unity among them be achieved?" he asked. Pawar said his effort would be to create unity among communities while keeping politics aside. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.